Summary

Some players may be thinking that these new Ixalan decks don’t look new at all, since Energy variants, U/W Approach, and Ramunap Red are all still viable, if not tier 1, archetypes in this new format so far. That being said, Ixalan cards are making a major impact, changing the directions of these decks and making them perhaps even more powerful than they were before. The deck we’re featuring today is Jund Midrange, which uses well-sized creatures and removal spells to out-value its opponents.

While not technically an “Energy” deck, this deck does have an energy package that is very important to its overall game plan. Attune with Aether is a must for any green deck looking for energy, and Bristling Hydra has proven itself as a valuable, hard to kill threat that has applications in this new format. Voltaic Brawler is a card that didn’t see as much play as many anticipated in the previous Standard format, but it could be ready for a resurgence, as could Greenbelt Rampager. The 3/4 for just 1 mana has a small drawback that can be easily taken care of, leaving you with a severely undercosted creature for your efforts.

Sticking with the low-to-mid cost cards in this deck, Scrapheap Scrounger makes an appearance, despite this deck not being the aggressive archetypes that this card previously saw play in. In this deck, it’s an excellent way of turning on Unlicensed Disintegration, is a good attacker, and also crews Heart of Kiran, which is easily crewed in this deck. Heart of Kiran is undoubtedly one of the most powerful cards in this format, and its evasion and crew cost fit perfectly with the existing strategy this deck has in place. Deathgorge Scavenger is an Ixalan card that has seen quite a bit of play in these opening days, thanks to its not inconsequential graveyard hating and its ability to be a powerful midrange attacking threat.

At the top of the curve, this deck aims to play some of the more hard to beat creatures that immediately put pressure on the opponent. Glorybringer is an obvious inclusion for just this reason, as it provides some much-needed evasion along with creature kill, making it one of the more valuable creatures that this deck could play. This deck also plays both Hazoret the Fervent and Rhonas the Indomitable, two gods that are hard to kill and have very relevant abilities. Rhonas the Indomitable helps push through damage and hit for chunks, while Hazoret the Fervent can act as a 5/4 indestructible haste for 4 mana, as well as a source of extra burn reach should the game need it.